Video Games, Opinions, Thoughts, & Tomfoolery

We’re starting a new little thing around here, and that’s copying the practice of creating top ten lists. Sure, everybody is already doing it, but we don’t care. This list will kick things off, but coming very soon we’ll each be offering up our top ten favorite games of all-time. Unlike many sites, we’ll do these things on a personal level (for the most part) instead of a collaborative effort. This makes it easier to point out which of us has crappy taste (Miguel) and which of us has the most correct and proper taste in all things gaming (me).

There are a TON of gaming podcasts out there, and I listen to enough to cover a full 40 hour work week. Here are, in my personal opinion, the best 10 (in no specific order) out there.

1up Yours – A mix of guys from the 1up team (EGM, GFW, Gamevideos.com, etc.) discuss topics on a weekly basis. New shows appear Friday afternoons and they are an excellent way to close out the work week or start your week on a Monday morning. While the show can be a bit irreverent, you get some of the best analysis and honest opinion you’ll find anywhere.

CAGcast – Cheapassgamer.com puts out a weekly podcast hosted by CheapyD and Wombat. With CheapyD in Japan, and Wombat in New York, you get a nice gaming discussion with insight from both the Eastern and Western worlds of gaming. Like the best podcasts out there, CheapyD and Wombat are very sincere and honest in their opinions. The show is also a great source for upcoming and current deals on games.

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson Radio – Larry Hyrb and his co-host e put out a weekly show dedicated to all things Xbox. Even though the show has a very noticeable spin to it, there is excellent info to be found week to week on the show. There are tons of interviews, contests, and peeks into the day to day workings that drive the Xbox machine.

GFW Radio – The GFW team is hands down one of the funniest group of guys hosting a weekly gaming podcast. Even though the focus of the podcast is on PC gaming, there is still regular discussion of what is going on in the console world. Shawn’s Hero of the Web segment is guaranteed to coax a laugh or two out of you, as well as all the silly anecdotes the crew offers up.

The Penny Arcade Podcast – This show releases on a very spotty and irregular schedule, but it’s worth keeping an eye on it through iTunes or any other podcatcher. The show is just Mike and Jerry (Gabe and Tycho) talking as they hammer out one of their comics. You get about 45 minutes of brainstorming, unrelated tangents, and hilarious commentary on the latest happenings in gaming. By the end of the show you’ll know exactly how they came up with the idea for the current comic and appreciate the genius of these two guys and what they produce.

EGM Live* – Hosted by members of the EGM crew, EGM Live* is a great look into how an issue of EGM is put together and how reviewers arrive at the scores they award each game. For anybody that regularly reads EGM, this show attaches real personalities to the recognizable names you’ve seen in the publication year to year. There’s also opportunities to win some crap in a trivia contest each week.

Three Red Lights Podcast – IGN’s podcast, dedicated solely to the Xbox 360, does a great job covering interesting topics in the Xbox world while providing humor along the way. The IGN Xbox team speaks quite freely about the games they’re reviewing, people in the industry, and their fellow co-workers. Good stuff.

Podcast Beyond – Podcast Beyond is IGN’s PlayStation team podcast. Both the PSP and PS3 are discussed, but the PS2 still gets a little bit of attention as well. Much like Three Red Lights, the editors are very candid and open about the topics they approach. Reader interaction is pretty well-integrated into the show as well.

The HotSpot – Ok, I struggled putting this into the top ten because I think the GameSpot guys are a level below what you find over at 1up or IGN, but the show does cover a lot of topics. Most of this is personal, but I pretty much disagree with everything Jeff Gertsmann says on the show, and they other guys seem to be a little behind on news as well. Still, I catch the show each week as they do find worthwhile topics for discussion and the show is very well produced. No podcast out there has better reader interaction than the HotSpot, especially with the recorded phone calls.

Gamebot Live – What? You haven’t heard of this one? Gamebot Live is the official podcast produced by the Gamebot Online fellas. The show has a somewhat inconsistent release schedule, but it’s always worth the wait. The crew focuses mainly on retro and obscure gaming titles, but you’ll get talk of modern games thrown into the mix as well. Gamebot Live is the last podcast out there when I can still find talk about arcades! As an arcade/retro nut, this show is perfect for me. You’ll also get some awesome retro tunes thrown into the mix.

Other shows worth a look:

Wii-k in Review

IGN is AFK

Game Scoop! Podcast

Retronauts

The Bungie Studios Podcast

If you’re wondering where the Stupid Gamer Podcast is on that list, well, it’s not fair to the other shows to mix ’em up with such superior awesomeness. If you’re not listening to us, well, you pretty much suck.